


The Lady's Request

by duchess325



Series: The Baker Street Chronicles [5]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Episode: s03e02 The Sign of Three, Episode: s03e03 His Last Vow, F/M, His Last Vow Spoilers, Multi, Other, Post-Episode: s03e02 The Sign of Three, Post-Episode: s03e03 His Last Vow, Pre-Episode: s03e03 His Last Vow, Sherlock Being Sherlock, Sherlock Being an Asshole, Sherlock Being an Idiot, Sherlock Holmes and Drug Use, Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 05:01:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9107671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duchess325/pseuds/duchess325
Summary: Sherlock accepts a case from Lady Smallwood. Will his tactics jeopardize his potential relationship with Molly Hooper?





	

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place over the course of about 2 weeks and begins as Sherlock is leaving the wedding reception of John and Mary. I am of the opinion that Sherlock has shown himself to be a man who believes in the adage, “The end justifies the means.” I believe that we see that in many instances throughout the first three series, but in HLV there are a few that I want to point out.  
> First of all, at the beginning of HLV John finds Sherlock in a drug den, assumedly strung out on heroin since he later fails a drug test at St. Bart’s. Sherlock claims that it is for a case, and, in reality, it is. He is luring Charles Magnussen out, and we learn as he leaves the lab after his piss test, that he has been successful. The fact that he a drug addict risking sobriety and his very life, is of little consequence—it was for a case and he was successful in his intended conclusion.  
> Second, we have Janine. Sherlock dates her, sleeps with her, makes her think he is serious about her, and even proposes to her—all to get closer to Magnussen and with no regard to her feelings. After all, it is for a case, and again his tactics are successful.  
> Finally, Sherlock shoots Magnussen in order to keep Mary and John safe from his clutches. Sherlock will obviously have to pay a high price for his actions, but he has successfully protected them.  
> In this particular story you will see that Sherlock again takes the gamble that the ends justifies the means, but will he take things too far this time?

As the wedding party continued in full swing around him, Sherlock suddenly felt awkwardly alone. He glanced around and spotted Janine and gave her a smile. She smiled back and he suddenly felt relieved, that is until he noticed that she was dancing with the young man just dumped by his girlfriend. Janine gave Sherlock a thumbs up and mouthed, “Thanks,” to him. He tried to smile back, but it came off almost as more of a grimace.

He needed to leave. He was out of his element here amongst all these people. To top it all off, they were reveling and having fun whilst he felt as if his whole world was crashing down around him. He knew things were going to be different when John married Mary, despite John’s promises otherwise. But just in that moment before with the two of them, when he deduced that Mary was pregnant, did he realize that things were going to change more than he might could handle. John, for nearly five years now, had helped Sherlock navigate in the world as he alone had never been able to do. John had taught him compassion for others and shown him what is was like to care for someone. Mary had shown him from their first meeting how easily one could make friends and trust someone you hardly knew. She had never been jealous of John’s relationship with Sherlock, but Sherlock, suddenly and ashamedly, could not say the same about his feelings of John’s relationship with Mary.

Sherlock looked around again and decided to take his leave. He went up to the band stand and folded up his sheet music and placed it in an envelope addressed to John and Mary. He went and retrieved his coat from the coat check and cut back through the ball room to have one more look at the happy couple and his other friends. Molly and Tom were dancing together, as Mrs. Hudson and Lestrade looked on. He thought that no one noticed him leave through the side door.

Cutting through the garden, Sherlock slipped on his coat and buttoned it up against the chill that was now in the air in the late hour. He had made it almost all the way to the gate when he heard her call his name.

“Sherlock! Sherlock, will you please wait?!” Molly was running down the lane, clasping her coat at her chest to hold it around her shoulders. He stopped and waited for her. “Running off already?” she asked him breathlessly.

“I’m just a bit out of my comfort zone I’m afraid. Too many people,” he answered her with a sad smile.

“Would you like to come back in and dance? With me, if you like?”

“No, thank you, Molly. I think I’ll just head back to Baker Street. I’ve called for a car.” She was looking at him forlornly, so he continued, “Are you and Tom having fun? I saw you dancing just before I left. Everything all good between the two of you? It’s not is it? I could tell earlier by the way you--”

“Sherlock, please stop. Don’t do that now; it’s just awful when you do that. To be perfectly honest with you, things are not going well. They haven’t been going well for a time now. We’ve been arguing quite a bit.”

Sherlock frowned. “I’m very sorry to hear that, Molly. What has gone wrong?”

Molly looked down at her feet to avoid his eyes. “We’ve been arguing about you.”

“Oh. Oh! Does he know about--?”

“He knows there is some kind of history between us. Even he could deduce that that first time he met you at your flat. Since then he says he thinks about it every day. I kind of thought that coming to the wedding and spending the night away together, alone, would kind of reignite our spark. I guess I didn’t factor in the part where you would be here.” She laughed half-heartedly at the thought.

“Molly, I’m--”

“No, don’t, Sherlock. It’s not necessary. I think that tomorrow I’m going to have a talk with Tom. I think that I’ve known for a while, but I just need to tell him that it’s over. It’s okay, I’m okay. Really. But, what about you, Sherlock? It was more than just all the people—why are you leaving so early? Why do you look so sad? You know you can’t fool me when you look so sad. What is this about? Is it about John and Mary? You’ll still see him! You’ll still solve cases together.” She tried a smile to cheer him up, and he tried to smile back, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Marriage changes things, so I’ve been told. Things are changing more than I was expecting and much faster. Just being alone at Baker Street has been harder than I expected these past nine months. I sit down across from his chair and stare at its emptiness, and I wonder if that is how John felt when I was gone. It’s no wonder he left; it’s terribly lonely up there. But don’t you fret about me, Molly. Something will come along to relieve the boredom, I’m sure.”

“I don’t think it’s going to be like that. I don’t think John will abandon you just because he got married. You’re his best friend. He loves you, Sherlock, don’t ever doubt that.”

“You though, Molly, will you be okay—with Tom and all that? You know, if you need a place to stay—well, it’s just that I have a spare room, with John being gone.”

“Oh, no. Tom moved into my flat, so I’ll stay put, but thank you all the same.”

“Well, just remember if you do need me—it—and by it, I mean the bedroom, of course. If you need anything at all. I mean, he’ll need to find a place; could take a while. If things are awkward, much like this conversation--” They both chuckled.

“Thank you, Sherlock. I will keep it in mind. And if you get lonely I’m here—to talk! I didn’t mean--”

“Perhaps with that I will bid you goodnight,” Sherlock said with a smile, which was small but genuine. “Goodnight, Molly Hooper.” He bent his head and kissed her on the cheek. Then, with a swoosh of his coat he turned and disappeared into the dark.

 

****************************************************************

 

One evening, a week after the wedding, Sherlock was sitting in his chair in the flat twirling a gun on his finger. He was bored—John and Mary were still on their honeymoon and he hadn’t had a potential client in days. He was in his pajamas and dressing gown, even though it was only eight o’ clock, but, honestly, he hadn’t even bothered to dress at all that day. This boredom was starting to become a problem.

Sherlock was just about to see if he could shoot one of his beakers off the kitchen table when his mobile phone rang. He pulled it out of the pocket of his dressing gown and was surprised to see that Molly was calling him.

“Hello? Molly? Is something wrong? Are you okay?” he asked urgently.

“Hi, Sherlock! Everything is just fine. I was just wondering—well you said that if I needed a place to stay--”

Sherlock sat up straight in his chair now. “Of course, you can stay here. Is there something wrong? You would tell me if there was something wrong, wouldn’t you?”

“I broke up with Tom, like I said I would, but he doesn’t have a place to stay yet. It’s just a bit awkward. And he’s been drinking a bit. I just thought it might be better if I stayed somewhere else tonight.”

“Yes, yes. Please come over. I’ll get John’s old room set up for you. Is there anything that you need?”

“No, no. Just a warm bed. I’ve got clothes with me here at work. I get off in about 30 minutes, but I need to pop over to my mum’s to check on—her and see that she’s okay. I would stay there, but she doesn’t really have the room, though I could sleep on her sofa. Should I just go and sleep on her sofa? She wouldn’t mind. I hate to impose on you, Sherlock.”

“No, please, Molly, stay with me. I’ve been rather lonely.”

“It’s not too late? It may be ten o’clock before I get there.”

“It’s not too late. You’re right on time.”

 

After hanging up with Molly, Sherlock fluttered around his flat picking up newspapers, books, and tea cups. Once he was satisfied that the sitting room and kitchen were presentable he looked down at his rumpled pajamas. After sniffing his shirt, he decided it might be a good idea to take a quick shower before his guest arrived. However, he then found himself standing in his bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist trying to decide if he should put on trousers and a shirt or if fresh pajamas would suffice. He finally decided to go with pajama pants and a t-shirt and a clean dressing gown.

Back in the sitting room he yelled for Mrs. Hudson, who came scuttling upstairs in a flurry of waving hands.

“What’s wrong, Sherlock?! Oh, my, what’s wrong?” she exclaimed.

“Mrs. Hudson, Ms. Hooper is needing lodging for the evening. Would you mind putting fresh linens on the bed in John’s room?”

“Molly is staying over? Are you sure you’ll be needing the spare bed?” she asked with a sly look on her face.

“Mrs. Hudson! What are you implying? Molly is experiencing some domestic turmoil, that’s all, and I am simply being a good friend. Now, do we have any candles around here?”

“I am your landlady, Sherlock, not your housekeeper, but seeing as it’s for Molly, I will get the bedroom tidied up. There are candles downstairs in my kitchen, by the way.” She smiled a knowing smile as she tottered up the stairs to the spare room.

Sherlock ran down to Mrs. Hudson’s flat to find candles and was getting ready to dash back upstairs when he thought to look in the fridge.

“Yes!” he exclaimed when he spotted a bottle of wine. There was also some cheese on the bottom shelf. Looking in the cupboards he found some biscuits. He grabbed those too and found a shopping bag to carry the candles and food back upstairs.

“Mrs. Hudson! I grabbed a few other things from downstairs! Hope you don’t mind!” he yelled at the landing outside his kitchen.

“What’s that, dear?” Mrs. Hudson asked coming into the kitchen a few moments later.

“I, uh, found some other things when I was looking for candles. Would you mind fixing up a plate of nibbles while I go light these candles? Oh, and wine glasses. Do we have wine glasses?”

“Honestly, Sherlock, I am not your housekeeper!”

“Mrs. Hudson, it’s for Molly!”

Mrs. Hudson sighed. “I’ll go get some glasses. I’ll find a tray to put the cheese and biscuits on as well.”

“That’s my girl!” Sherlock exclaimed before planting a big kiss on the top of Mrs. Hudson’s head.

Mrs. Hudson prepared the tray and found Sherlock in the sitting room lighting some candles on the mantle.

“Where do you want these, dear?” she asked.

“There on the side table is fine.”

“I’ll be off then. Shall I just send Molly up when she calls?”

“Yes, that will be perfect, Mrs. Hudson. Thank you and goodnight.”

“Goodnight, dear.”

It was around 9:15 by this time. Sherlock straightened up some papers on his table and sat down in his armchair, but then popped back up and moved the cheese, wine, and glasses to the coffee table and took a seat on the end of the sofa. He was restless though and was soon tuning his violin. He was just starting to play one of his new compositions when he heard footsteps on the stairs.

“Sherlock!” Mrs. Hudson called.

Sherlock turned to his door, “Mrs. Hudson, I told you to just let--” he stopped as Mrs. Hudson appeared in the door with a well-dressed, distinguished looking lady with her.

“I’m sorry, Sherlock. She said she is a client and that it was urgent.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Hudson. Please come in, Lady Smallwood,” Sherlock said. He crossed to the door and ushered the guest in the room. As Mrs. Hudson turned to leave he leaned over and whispered to her, “Please entertain Molly in your flat if she arrives before Lady Smallwood leaves.” Mrs. Hudson nodded her head and trotted back downstairs.

Lady Smallwood looked around the room. “I’m sorry, are you expecting company?” she asked, eyeing the candles and wine and looking Sherlock, in his dressing gown and pajamas, up and down.

Sherlock tightened the belt of his dressing gown and directed the Lady to John’s armchair by the fireplace. He took his seat opposite her.

“To what do I owe this unexpected visit, Lady Smallwood. Did my dear brother send you? I can assure you that I am not interested in any assignments that you might have in mind for me.”

“Mr. Holmes, I assure you that your brother is not aware of my visit. I am rather surprised to find myself here, but I didn’t know what else I could do. Mr. Holmes, are you familiar with the name Charles Magnussen?”

Sherlock rolled his eyes. “Charles Magnussen? I know of the rags that he prints in the name of ‘news.’ I know that they make better kindling than they make newspapers. He peddles scandal and preys on those who are weak or different. Yes, Lady Smallwood. I know exactly who he is.”

“He is blackmailing me.”

“What do you mean he is blackmailing you?”

“My husband, some years before we met, had a brief correspondence with a young lady. A very young lady. They had met only once and he thought she was older. As soon as he found out how old she really was he cut off communication with her immediately. Not much of a story, but Mr. Magnussen informs me that his readership will think otherwise when he puts his spin on it. He has the letters. He’s found my pressure point.”

“What are his demands?”

“He is involved in an inquiry as to the extent of his influence over the Prime Minister. There have been allegations. He would like it all to go away.”

“And what do you want?”

“I want those letters.”

 

***********************************************************

Molly arrived shortly after Lady Smallwood had departed. When she walked in she sniffed the air.

“Is that perfume?” She glanced about at the candles, wine, and tray of food. “Did you have…a…guest?”

Sherlock was sitting in his chair, fingertips pressed together and resting against his lips. “Hmmm? Oh, yes, I mean it was a client,” he said dismissively.

“So, do you always invite your clients up for wine and cheese at this hour?” Molly asked, trying to sound jovial.

“What?” Sherlock asked. “No, that’s for you. Thought you might want a nip after work. Help yourself.”

“Will you be joining me?” Molly asked hopefully.

“No, I don’t eat much when I’m working. Slows down the thinking process.”

“So, you took the case? What’s this one then? Cheating spouse? Missing baubles?”

“No, this is much more interesting than that. It involves one of the most powerful men in Europe, perhaps the world, and I have to coax him out to play. Could take a while. I don’t like that. I don’t have the patience for it.” Then Sherlock’s eyes lit up. “Oh! But what if I could have a little fun while I wait. A little fun, that might just bring him round. Yes, kill two birds with one stone.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Of course, you don’t. Well, I’m off to bed, Molly. I have a lot to do tomorrow. Mrs. Hudson has made your bed up in the bedroom upstairs. Goodnight.” He went down the hall and closed himself in his bedroom.

Molly stood in the middle of the sitting room, her overnight bag still in her hand. “Goodnight,” she whispered.

 

******************************************************

The next morning Sherlock got up early and was having his tea at the table, his laptop open in front of him, when Molly came downstairs, dressed and with her bag in her hand.

“I’ll just be off then,” she said, popping her head in the door. “Thank you for letting me stay last night.”

“Oh, are you leaving already?” Sherlock asked, looking up from the computer. “Mrs. Hudson brought you tea,” he said nodding at the tea pot and extra cup sitting in front of him.

For a moment, Molly seemed to considered staying, but then Sherlock went back to his computer, and just like that the moment was gone. “I’ve got to get back to my flat. Just a few things to do before work. Thanks again.”

“Mmmm. Later,” Sherlock mumbled. With Molly gone, he gave his full attention to the matter at hand. For the past hour, he had been poring over every bit of information on Charles Magnussen that he could get his hands on—every news story, every Internet site, every picture, every file that Lady Smallwood had sent him overnight. He was looking for anything that he could use to get at Magnussen, but so far there was nothing of much substance that could help Sherlock. He had a plan to get Magnussen to come for him, but nothing of use to get back at him. However, a picture taken at a recent charity event caught his eye.

“What do we have here? Impossible!” He looked closer at his screen and zoomed in the picture to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him. “Could it be? What are the chances?” He scanned the accompanying article. “Janine!”

 

Later that afternoon found Sherlock across the street from Magnussen’s London offices. He was waiting to find out when Janine would be leaving her boss’s office. At 5:15 she exited the building and hailed a taxi. Sherlock hailed one as well and followed her to her flat, but he didn’t stop there. Instead he had the driver take him to Harlesden. There, in a dilapidated building, he bought some heroin. Though, he preferred cocaine, this was going to require something much more dangerous, something seedier. Then, on second thought, he took a cab to Brixton, where a guy that he knew only by the name of Tinsley sold him some coke. Might as well enjoy this, he thought.

That evening he expected that Molly would return to stay the night in John’s old room, therefore he refrained from partaking in any of his earlier purchases. He knew that Molly would be utterly disappointed if she found him in an enhanced state of mind. So, despite that fact that he could really use the distraction and the freedom of thought that the drugs brought with them (after all, with a case such as Lady Smallwood’s, he would need to use his mind palace), he couldn’t bring himself to let Molly down when she was already going through a difficult time.

Sherlock stayed up waiting for Molly, watching telly on the sofa until he drifted off to sleep. When he awoke at two in the morning with a stiff neck he tiptoed upstairs to peek into the spare room. The bed was empty. Molly had not come. He went to his own bed and lay awake wondering how she was and why she hadn’t come back. At 3:00, he looked at the time on his phone and decided that he needed to go back to sleep because he had a long day ahead of him.

Three hours later he was up again and in the shower. He planned on going to Janine’s flat early to watch and see what time she would be leaving for work.

He followed her all day, from the time she left home at 7:45 in the morning, to the time she left the office at 5:15 in the evening. In between she went to lunch and ran errands. He watched her for a week. He knew what time she had her morning coffee and what brand it was. He knew where she ate lunch, favorite sandwich, and which ATM she used on the corner. Finally, on Friday afternoon, as Janine sat in the café across from her office, Sherlock breezed in nonchalantly and ordered a cup of coffee. As he whipped by in his coat, Janine looked up.

“Sherlock? Sherlock Holmes?” she asked.

Sherlock turned around and looked surprise. He then looked at her as if he was trying to recall her name. “Janine?” he asked tentively.

“Yeah, from Mary and John’s wedding. How are you?”

“I’m good, I’m good. And, how are you? The last time I saw you, you were dancing with that bloke I introduced you to at the reception. How did that work out?”

Janine chuckled, “It didn’t. But that’s okay. I got a fun night out of it. You disappeared that night. I was a bit disappointed.”

“Really? I wish I would have stuck around then,” he flashed her a smile because he knew that was what women liked. They really seemed to like his smile. “Do you work around here?” he asked her.

“Yeah, I work across the street. What about you? Do you live nearby?”

“No, I’m working on a case. Cheating husband. Followed him down to the jewelry store at the end of the block. Popped in here when he caught a taxi back to his office. So, you’re in the newspaper business?”

“Sort of. My boss is. I am a personal assistant to Charles Magnussen.”

“No kidding!” Sherlock said, trying to look amused and astonished. “Wow, he’s a pretty important man. Owns a lot of papers. Must be an interesting job working for him.”

“It has its moments. It can be very difficult as well. Mr. Magnussen is a very private person. Kind of quirky, too. He makes me quite nervous.”

“That’s—I don’t know what,” Sherlock said laughing, which made Janine laugh as well. “Hey, I’ve got to run now, but would you be interested in going to dinner with me tomorrow night?”

Janine smiled. “Yes, that would be nice. I have to work late. Would eight o’ clock be okay?”

“That would be perfect.” He reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a business card. “Here’s my number. Text me your address, and I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.” Janine gave him another big smile, which he returned as he walked backwards to the door.

Once he was outside and out of Janine’s sight, the fake smile turned to one of triumph as Sherlock was now one step closer to Magnussen.

 

At dinner the next night Sherlock tried his best to be attentive and charming.

“You know, Janine, I was a bit jealous that you abandoned me at the reception for Fanboy. I thought you and I had some kind of connection, especially after our little impromptu dance lesson.”

“Sherlock! I had no idea. I thought you didn’t go for that sort of thing,” Janine responded.

“What does that mean? What sort of thing? Though I may be oblivious at times to a beautiful woman, I do recognize a beautiful mind when I meet one and nothing is more attractive to me than that,” he said, raising his wine glass and giving her a little nod.

Janine blushed. “You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“Oh, more than you know,” he replied with a sly smile.

 

Sherlock invited Janine back to his flat for drinks after dinner. He made sure to keep her glass full as they laughed and talked.

“Are you even a little bit buzzed, Sherlock? Because I think I’m a little bit buzzed,” Janine giggled.

“I am totally buzzed,” Sherlock answered with a goofy smile. “My buzz is just more subdued than most people’s,” he told her. In reality, he had not drunk nearly as much as he had given Janine to drink. In fact, he hadn’t had much to drink at all.

Before long, the pair was cozied up on the sofa and Janine could not keep her hands off Sherlock. Though he felt uncomfortable kissing a woman he barely knew, he kept telling himself that it was for a case. Besides, she was a very attractive woman, and despite what he told her, even he could recognize that. And it wasn’t like he wasn’t enjoying it at all. He was definitely aroused, but he managed to keep himself under control in order to control the situation. This had to be very well choreographed.

Janine had just suggested that they move things into the bedroom, when there was a knock on the door.

“Sherlock!” Mrs. Hudson called in a loud, urgent whisper. “Can you hear me?”

“Excuse me, Janine. That would be my landlady. I’ll get rid of her,” he said with a wink.

“May I use the loo while you do that?”

“Of course! Down the hall on the left,” he said. Then he added, “Right by the bedroom. I’ll be there in just a few moments.” He smiled at her as she disappeared, and then he opened the door in exasperation. “What is it, Mrs. Hudson?! I’m a bit busy, at the moment!”

“I know, and I’m sorry, Sherlock. It’s just that Molly is downstairs. She wanted to see you. I knew you were entertaining so I fixed her some tea and told her I would come fetch you. She seems upset, dear.”

“Molly?” Sherlock asked. He leaned his head back and took a nervous glance down the hall. Janine was still in the loo. “She’s upset? Did she say what’s wrong?”

“No, she only said that she needed to see you. I told her you were working on a case and had asked me not to disturb you, but that I would for her.”

“Good work, Mrs. Hudson. Listen, give me just a moment and I’ll be down.”

Mrs. Hudson nodded and hurried back down the stairs. Sherlock heard Janine opening the door to his bedroom as he closed the door to his flat.

“Janine,” he said, poking his head into the bedroom, “listen, I just have to go downstairs and change the lightbulb for Mrs. Hudson. At her age, I don’t like her climbing on the step ladder; might take a fall, and she has a bad hip as it is. Why don’t you get comfortable, and I’ll join you in five minutes?” He paused a moment. “Ten minutes, tops.”

“That’s so sweet of you to take care of her. I find that very sexy,” she said with a seductive smile. “Hurry back.”

“Oh, I will,” he said, returning the smile. He closed the door to the bedroom and quickly hurried out. He paused for a moment to lock the door from the kitchen and continued to Mrs. Hudson’s.

He found Molly sitting with Mrs. Hudson in the kitchen. Mrs. Hudson was patting Molly’s hand and saying, “Trust me, you’re better off without him, dear. And I never liked him anyway. Oh, here’s Sherlock! Are you finished with what you were working on, Sherlock?”

“No, not quite,” he answered with a forced smile. “Big case,” he said to Molly.

“Well, I’ll leave the two of you to talk. I just took my herbal soother for my hip so I’m going to go have a lie down.”

“Thank you for the tea and the pep talk,” Molly said. “Goodnight.”

“Anytime, dear. Goodnight.”

Sherlock joined Molly at the kitchen table after Mrs. Hudson left. “Molly, what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?”

“I wasn’t going to come back--”

“Wait,” Sherlock interrupted her, “what do you mean you weren’t going to come back?”

“I wasn’t going to come back,” Molly continued, “because I didn’t want to interfere with your work, or whatever was preoccupying you the last time, but I’ve had a nasty row with Tom, and….”

“Molly,” Sherlock said, taking her hands in his as a tear slipped down her cheek. “I’m sorry about the other night. I am involved in a very big case right now, you have no idea, but your friendship means more to me than that. So, tomorrow I’ll come around to Bart’s and take you to lunch and we’ll talk, okay?”

“What? No, I mean, can’t we talk now?”

“Now?” he asked. He snuck a look at his watch. “Now is—sure.”

“Like I said, Tom and I got into a particularly nasty argument tonight. I’ve been staying at my mum’s and she’s been keeping….been keeping a place for me on her sofa, but tonight I went by my flat and told Tom that he has to be out tomorrow or I’m setting all of his stuff out on the curb."

“Good for you. Do you need me to come over tomorrow and make sure he leaves? I’ll be happy to do it, and if you need anything else just let me know.” Sherlock stood up to leave.

“Sherlock! I was going to ask you if I could stay. I mean, I could go back to my mum’s, but I need someone that I can talk to, a friend. It doesn’t matter though,” she said, standing up and taking her coat from the back of the chair.

“No, no, no, Molly. I’m sorry. Of course, you may stay. Come along and I’ll carry your bag.”

At the landing outside his flat Sherlock paused for a moment as Molly continued upstairs. “I just have to check on something in the kitchen,” he told her. “I’ll be right behind you.” He quickly ducked into his flat and locked the door behind him.

“Sherlock!” Janine called from the bedroom.

Sherlock dashed to his bedroom. “Shhhh!” he exclaimed as he rushed in. “Sorry, Mrs. Hudson just went to bed. She’s a light sleeper. Don’t want to wake her.” He stopped, frozen, taking in the scene before him. The candles that he had left on his mantel were now on the night stand, the only light in the room. Janine was sitting up in his bed, naked, obviously, by the way she had the covers pulled up under her arms, her bare shoulders showing. A quick glance to her exposed back side confirmed that she had no clothes on.

“I was waiting on you, but now I think my buzz is wearing off and maybe I should just go.”

“Go?” he asked. “No! Don’t go! Let me go get our bottle of wine, or if you like, I have something else that might relax you.”

“What do you mean? If you mean what I think you mean, I don’t mess with any of that stuff. If that’s your thing, I don’t mind; I just don’t.”

“Okay, yeah. Well, let me get you that wine. And I’ve got to run upstairs. I don’t like to keep that down here. I’ll be just a few minutes, but I’ll give you something to look forward to in the meantime.” Sherlock sat down facing Janine on the bed and ran his hands up her neck and entwined his fingers in her long, thick hair as he pulled her face to his and pressed his lips to hers. She reached up to take his face in her hands and let the sheets slip down to her waist, revealing her ample bosom. Sherlock pulled away and cleared his throat. “Right then. I’ll be, um, right back.”

Back at the foot of the stairs, Sherlock picked up Molly’s bag as he tried his best to shift himself in his trousers to hide his arousal. Think of something else, Sherlock, he told himself. Think of cold showers or corpses. Cool down! He walked slowly up the steps, and when he realized that he had two women in his home, both that he was sexually attracted to, but only one that he truly cared about, he cooled down pretty quickly. He told himself that Janine was part of a case, no matter what happened between them, but Molly was much more. He just hoped that would be enough for him to live with himself.

Upstairs in the spare room, Molly was sitting on the edge of the bed, still crying. She looked up when Sherlock walked in. “Everything all right downstairs? Things heating up down there?”

Sherlock’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, what? What do you mean ‘heating up’?”

Molly got a quizzical look on her face. “You said you had to check on something in the kitchen. I just thought perhaps you were cooking something.”

“Oh! Right! No, no, I’m just—well, yes, things are heating up a bit. I’ve got an experiment going in the kitchen. On the stove. Yes, heating up nicely. For the case,” he said. Then he decided to change the subject. “So, do you need anything before you go to bed? Anything at all I can do for you before I (yawn) go to bed?”

“I’d just like to use the loo to freshen up a bit before I lay down,” she said, getting up from the bed.

“The loo? Yes. If you don’t mind, please use Mrs. Hudson’s. She won’t mind. I’d let you use mine, but my flat smells horrendous, experiment you know—body parts. And I have a particularly nasty concoction in the bathtub right now. Don’t tell Mrs. Hudson, though, she’ll kill me!” He chuckled hoping to help sell the lie he just told Molly.

Molly shook her head. “One of these days you’re going to get yourself into trouble. The kitchen and bathtub are not labs. And as a pathologist, I shouldn’t even be hearing about anything you are doing with body parts. I’m pretty sure it goes against all ethical oaths I have taken. I’ll just slip quietly down to Mrs. Hudson’s.”

“Sorry about that, Molly,” Sherlock said as he stepped closer to her. He took her face between his hands and gently wiped the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs. “How about I come wake you up early in the morning and we go out for breakfast and a chat? Then, if you like, I can go along with you to your flat and kick Tom out for you?”

Molly smiled. “That sounds lovely,” she said.

“Goodnight, Molly Hooper,” he said. He leaned forward and kissed her on her forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

 

Sherlock leaned against the door to Molly’s bedroom and sighed. How was he going to pull this off? At the bottom of the stairs he lifted a loose board on the riser and fished out his baggie of cocaine from beneath. Normally he would shoot it up, but he had already taken too much time upstairs and Janine was probably ready to bolt as it was. He slipped it into his trouser pocket and hurried back into his flat, making sure he locked the door behind him. He grabbed the bottle of wine and the two glasses from the coffee table and rushed back to his bedroom. Janine was at the foot of the bed pulling her skirt back on.

“No, no, no!” Sherlock said in a urgent whisper. “I’m here! I’m back! I brought the wine!”

“Sherlock, I just don’t think this is a good idea. I had a great time with you, but this is probably way too fast.”

“Janine! Come on. We got on so well at John and Mary’s wedding and reception. We danced, we laughed, I found you a bloke to sleep with—we are practically on our third date tonight,” he said with a sly smile. “Let’s finish this bottle of wine then? And brought a little something else in case you change your mind.” He sat the wine and glasses on top of his bureau and pulled the baggie out of his pocket.

“I told you I don’t go for that, but I could have one more glass of wine,” she stepped close to Sherlock and fiddled with the top button of his shirt, “that is if you are going to loosen up as well.”

“Oh, I plan on it,” he said with a wicked grin before he grabbed her passionately and began kissing her. “You are in for a wild night.”

 

***************************************************************

The next morning Sherlock was still passed out cold when Janine awoke at 8:00. He had promised her a wild night and it had been wild, fueled by wine (and later Scotch) and for Sherlock, lots of cocaine. When he finally crashed, he crashed hard.

Janine found a clean towel and went to take a bath while Sherlock slept it off. Though it was Saturday, she had to go to work, as Mr. Magnussen was returning from Amsterdam later in the morning. She had just finished her bath and was wrapping up in her towel when she heard a knock on the flat door. She waited to see if Sherlock would answer it, but when she stepped out in the hall she could see that he was still in the bed. Making sure her towel was covering her and tucked in well, she padded down the hall and to the door. She opened it a crack and peaked out.

“Oh!” said a surprised woman on the other side. “I was just—is Sherlock here?” She looked Janine up and down suspiciously.

“Yeah, he’s sleeping one off in the bed right now. Crazy night!” She laughed. Then she said, “Don’t I know you?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Yeah, you’re Sherlock and John’s friend. You were at the wedding, with the bow in your hair. Polly, was it?” Her smile was more of a smirk now.

“Molly. It’s Molly, and yes, I was at the wedding. Who are you again?” she asked.

“I was the chief bride’s maid, Janine. I’m a friend of Mary’s. And now I’m a friend of Sherlock’s. Was he expecting you this morning?”

“No, obviously not. Just popping by to see…Mrs. Hudson…and thought I would just say hi.”

“Well, I’ll tell Sherlock that you stopped by, that is if I can ever get him out of bed again!”

“Oh, that’s not necessary. Like I said, I was just here to see Mrs. Hudson. Thanks anyway.”

“My pleasure,” Janine said with a smile.

 

**************************************************************

 

Downstairs Molly could smell breakfast cooking in Mrs. Hudson’s flat so she stopped to knock on her door. Mrs. Hudson ushered her to the kitchen where she insisted that Molly at least have a cup of tea.

“Mrs. Hudson, who is the girl in Sherlock’s flat?”

Mrs. Hudson, who was taking the kettle from the stove top, froze. The kettle whistled loudly. “Oh, dear!” she exclaimed. “Girl? Is there a girl in Sherlock’s flat? That doesn’t seem like him at all.”

“Yes, there is and she’s half-naked.”

“Oh, my! I have no idea why there is a half-naked girl in his flat. All I know is that he’s been working on a case. That’s really all I know, Molly! Oh, this is just awful!” Mrs. Hudson plopped down in her chair at the table shaking her head.

“Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock and I are not in a relationship. There is no reason I should expect anything from him, but he should have had the decency last night to tell me that he had company. He shouldn’t have promised me that we would go out for coffee and a chat this morning if he was going to get wasted with some tart last night! Oh!” Molly gasped and put her hand to her mouth. “I didn’t mean that last part. I don’t even know her. Why does this hurt so much, Mrs. Hudson?” Molly hung her head as she felt the tears sting her eyes.

“Molly, none of us know what goes on in that funny head of Sherlock’s, but I do know this: I have never seen him more excited than he was last week when you told him that you were coming over. He was like a little boy waiting for Father Christmas. Then, some woman came by, a client. He called her Lady Smallwood, I think. He’s been acting a bit strange since. He says it’s a big case, but that’s all he’ll say about it. Sometimes, since that whole nasty business with Moriarty, I think he doesn’t like to tell me too much about his cases because he doesn’t want to put me in any kind of danger. Maybe he feels the same about you, dear. Give him time to come around, to sort this case out. Will you, Molly?”

“Mrs. Hudson, you’ve said some very lovely things. I don’t know if I can give him time to come around. I feel as if I’ve been waiting on him to come around for years.” Molly stood up. “If you see him today, please tell Sherlock that he can forget about coming over to ask Tom to leave. I can take care of myself. In fact, I’ve been doing a rather good job of it for some time now. Tell him that the next time I need someone to talk to I’ll go talk to a real friend.” With that, Molly took her leave.

As she was leaving 221 Baker Street, Janine was coming down the stairs.

“Oh, it’s you again,” Janine said. “I think Sherlock was finally stirring if you still want to pop in and say hello.”

“No, I was just leaving. I was here to have tea with Mrs. Hudson. We had a nice chat and now I’m going to kick my ex-fiancé out of my flat. Good day!” Molly turned on her heel and closed the door behind her in Janine’s face. By the time the shock wore off Janine and she stormed out of 221, Molly was in a taxi, a smirk on her face as she waved at her.

 

********************************************************

Sherlock was waking up to bright sunshine flooding his room with light. His head was fuzzy from all the wine and scotch he had the night before. He should have known better than to drink when he was using coke. God, what had they done last night? Better yet, what didn’t they do? Where was Janine now? What time was it? He reached for his mobile phone. Ten o’clock. Ten o’clock. It was late and there was something he was supposed to do…

“Oh, shit! Molly!” he shouted, bolting straight out of bed. He looked down at his naked body and grabbed the dressing gown off the hook on the back of his door. He ran through his flat and up the stairs to Molly’s room, tying his gown shut along the way. At the top of the stairs he burst into the bedroom to find it empty, the bed made up. He turned away slowly, his face in his hand.

“No, no, no…” he muttered.

“She’s gone, Sherlock,” Mrs. Hudson said from the landing at the bottom of the stairs. “She left early this morning, and apparently she ran into the young lady who spent the night with you. Oh, Sherlock! She was so upset!”

Sherlock sighed and shook his head. “This was not meant to happen. Janine means nothing to me, but I had to have sex with her. It’s all part of the case, Mrs. Hudson. That’s the truth.”

“Well, perhaps if you talk to Molly you leave out the part about the sex.”

“I doubt Molly will ever talk to me again.”

“You may be right about that. She did say to tell you not to come over, and that she could take care of herself. She also said something about finding a real friend.”

“Oh, what have I done?” Sherlock asked. He rubbed his chin with his hand. Then he stood up straight and put on a face of resolve. “It will be better this way. I’ve got to give my full attention to this case, to Janine. She is going to be the key to all of this.” He looked down at Mrs. Hudson who shook her head and tutted at him. “Perhaps when it’s all over I can explain it to Molly. Excuse me,” he said walking down and into his rooms. “I have a lot of work to do.”


End file.
